Career Didn`t Crumble For Soap Opera Star Who Started In Cookies

September 24, 1991|By LYNDA HIRSCH, Special to the Sun-Sentinel

When Timothy Gibbs was 10 years old and playing Pop Warner football, he was approached by a man who suggested he`d be perfect for a chocolate-chip cookie commercial. ``Loving chocholate-chip cookies, I figured it would be great,`` said Gibbs. So, with his parents` permission, Gibbs took the part. ``I had to eat at least 50 cookies in an hour. I haven`t eaten a chocolate-chip cookie since,`` declared Gibbs, who plays former good guy turned bad guy back to good guy Dash Nichols on NBC`s Santa Barbara.

He did, however, work constantly after that commercial. ``From the time I was 11 until I was 18, I nearly landed every role I auditioned for. It was amazing.``

One of the most amazing periods of Gibbs` life was working with Michael Landon: ``I appeared on a few episodes of Little House on the Prairie. Michael Landon was an inspiration. You knew he was the boss, but working on that set really felt like a family. Michael knew how to get what he wanted for the show from the network. He had a way of skinnying around things when he needed to get other things done. He never broke the rules. He just knew how to get things done.``

Following his appearances on Little House, Gibbs won the coveted role of orphan Will Adams on Father Murphy, starring Merlin Olsen. ``When I first met Merlin, I was terrified of him,`` Gibbs says. ``He was so huge.`` He stretches out a hand and imposes it over his face, to show the image Olsen held for him. ``After working on a few episodes, I realized what a gentle spirit Merlin is.``

During his two years on Father Murphy Gibbs admits to slight jealousy when he saw stars like Scott Baio, Jimmy McNichol, Rob Lowe, and Ralph Macchio getting all the covers on the teen magazines. ``It bothered me, but in retrospect I realize not getting that so-called teen star identification was terrific for my career.``

After playing Chad Everett`s son on The Rousters, a short-lived adventure series the then-18-year-old Gibbs decided to attend college in Nebraska.

``I had attended public school in my junior and senior years of high school. I was teased a bit for The Rousters because I had to dye my hair and eyebrows red. I really looked like a geek when I was a kid,`` says Gibbs. ``So walking around the hall with dyed hair and eyebrows did not help. I decided to go to Nebraska to get as far away from show business as I could.``

Gibbs left behind a large family. He is the youngest of five siblings and also has two step-siblings. ``Aside from all of the kids, something was always going on at my house. If someone was tossed out of their home because they were doing drugs, my folks would welcome them in, but they got the tough treatment.

``While I was in Nebraska attending college, I discovered something: I really loved show business. When I graduated I returned to Los Angeles, and for eight months I couldn`t land a job. Some actors might think `big deal, eight months,` but for me, who had worked steadily for eight years and only stopped working because I chose to go to school, it was pretty dismal.``

Gibbs was delighted to land the role of Dash. ``Whenever I`d go into a casting agency they`d look at me in disbelief. I really do look a lot different than I did as a kid, so whatever I auditioned for they thought they`d be seeing the kid they remembered from Father Murphy or those tons of commercials.``

Happily, he adds, ``The folks at Santa Barbara weren`t disheartened by the difference.``

Along with acting, Gibbs is interested in producing, but unlike lots of actors he`s getting his producing act together. He and longtime girlfriend Kathy have formed a company and plan to produce low-budget projects.

``I guess one of the things I learned from working with Michael Landon is you don`t talk about something, you do it.``